Candle in a Hurricane
by FBI Bones
Summary: Nightmares have an effect on the waking mind as well, sometimes it’s hold is to strong to break. Can he save her? Can she even be saved at all? DanielVala
1. Pitfall

_Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG1 or any of it's affiliated characters or locations._

_Summary: Nightmares have an effect on the waking mind as well, sometimes it's hold is to strong to break. Can he save her? Can she even be saved at all? Daniel/Vala_

_Rating: PG13 _

_Genre: Tragedy_

_Pairing: Daniel/Vala _

_Author's Notes: Being sleep deprived can be helpful – ideas for fanfictions come out of no where! I'd just spent the night at my mates and watched sixteen episodes of Stargate, all night, had about an hour-and a half's sleep; and this is what came out…_

_The only issue I have is that Savoir Aimer, my other Stargate fiction is my main priority (it tops even my Bones fictions at the moment) and so I don't know how often this will be updated. _

Chapter 1: Pitfall

The flickering blue light the wormhole emitted stopped suddenly and the only light they had was of the fire-torches in the braces on the walls, equally spaced down the long hallway, the 'gate behind them and straight ahead daylight was visible but only just.

Pillars were stationed every so often to support the high ceiling; the walls were plain with no inscriptions or even pictographs as to the building's origins.

"The MALP didn't show any signs of indigenous life," Sam reported as she descended the steps from the platform the Stargate stood upon, she glanced down at the UTD in her hand "oh… wow, these naquada readings are-"

"Okay," Mitchell turned back to his team "let's split up, see if we can find… anything or any_one¸_ radio in if we find anything and rendezvous back here in…" he glanced at his watch "thirty minutes,"

Teal'c nodded serenely as he and Carter headed down the hallway, turning into separate rooms when they came across them. Cam took his own way and Daniel walked down the hall, Vala on his heels.

The amber glow emitted by the fire-torches lit the area well, but when they glanced up the torches stopped about halfway up the wall, and even then it was not entirely possible to tell _where _the ceiling was, other than straight up. The air had a dusty value to it and it caught in their throats and made their eyes itch.

Their footsteps echoed loudly, and Vala coughed and skipped a step when Daniel suddenly disappeared into a room to his left.

The room had no door, just a wide gap in the wall leading to a large square area; it was empty save for a strange looking contraption in the middle of the room. Glyphs were positioned in odd lines and with no obvious semblance of order, not that there wasn't one at all.

Rectangular and grey, unlike the sandy brown of the rest of the building, the dust that fell from the ceiling like slow delicate rain had coated it in a light layer. It's size similar to that on a Goa'uld sarcophagus.

Daniel approached it carefully, his boots crunching in the dirt underfoot; his hand moved to his radio "uh guys…"

"Proceed Daniel Jackson," Teal'c's deep voice crackled by through, slight interference making the transmission slightly static.

"I think I've found something,"

"Which room are you in?" Mitchell asked.

"Seventh on the left," the radio clicked as he released it, he stood next to the device, no more than about four feet tall and save for indentations where the glyphs were situated.

Vala ran a hand across the top of the device, rubbing her fingers together when the dust collected there "doesn't look like anyone's been here in a while," she commented.

Crouching down and running palms flat along the side, stopping and tracing the edges of the control panel when she found it "here we go," she pulled it out, then sighed exasperatedly "these crystals are shot,"

Daniel brushed aside more of the dust and found lighter indentations depicted a dialect that was vague familiar to him. He pulled out his video camera and flicked it on.

"Writings similar to that of cultures I've seen before… origin seems to be Mayan. Possible variants of Latin and Egyptian as well… however it also appears to have developed on it's own…" He jumped and looked up when a thud came from where Vala was now stood, "what're you doing?"

"Trying to make it work," she replied simply.

"By kicking it?" he was incredulous, the camcorder still in his hand but his recordings abandoned when the dust fell in thicker clouds around them and the entire structure of the building began to shake.

"That wasn't me," Vala defended, hands up in a gesture similar to that of one of surrender.

Daniel went to retort back but was cut of when the device emitted an abrupt and blinding light, which began as an aura around it's origins. He raised an arm as a shield against it's rays and wasn't given even time to cry out as a pulse followed the light and he was thrown backwards.

* * *

Sam looked down at the UTD again, the readings were high, very high, and naquada deposits seemed to be everywhere in the building, the floor, and the walls…

Her radio crackled to life and she listened calmly as Daniel informed the team that he had found something then Teal'c and Cam say they were going to go and find them. She waited a moment, still enthralled by the intensity of the readings.

The building began to shake violently, she gave it a moment to pass and when it did not she wiped the screen of the handheld contraption with her fingertips before pocketing it and making for the room Daniel had reported to have been in.

She jogged down the hall and ducked when a loud crack from above broke through the rumbling that was the building moving so violently. The dust was falling in a thick blanket, she squinted as it stung her eyes and turned sharply, ducking as a piece of debris bounced off the floor near her right foot.

"Let's get out of here!" Cam shouted over the quakes and shivers of the rapidly collapsing temple around them.

He picked an unconscious Vala up and threw her over his shoulder, leading the way from the room, holding the young woman in place with only one arm as he used the sleeve of the other to cough into.

Teal'c had done the same to Daniel who seemed to be in an equal state Vala was. Darting forwards she snatched up the dropped video camera and switched it off as she left the room at a run.

The steady pace was quickened when a roar of rock-against-rock signified the collapsing of the temple behind them, her lungs burning she sprinted as fast as she could to the DHD where Cam was already dialling in.

As the 'gate sprung to life she glanced at Cam and punched in the code into her own GDO and Cam nodded his gratitude before running up the steps and stepping through the event horizon.

Teal'c did not even spare her a glance as he followed Mitchell's example and Sam hurtled up the steps as even more of the building crashed down, throwing herself through.

_Author's Notes: That chapter is short I know, but I don't think I could make it much longer... so what d'ya think? Review don't flame, the usual :)_


	2. Patent

_Author's Notes: I've made a Stargate message board, I have loads of message boards, but none seem to ever go anywhere! _

_www(dot)z8(dot)invisionfree(dot)com/ChevronSeven _

_I am ninja-spacemonkey on there, please do join I really want to try and make this one work out._

_Iv managed to fix the css problem on there! yay!_

Chapter 2: Patent

The metal grating of the ramp was cold against her cheek, her blood roaring in her ears as she heard the wormhole deactivate. Sam did not move for several seconds as she allowed herself to calm down a little.

"We need a med team in here!" Mitchell shouted, as he got to his feet, Vala lying on her back on the ramp next to him.

The med team rushed through the blast doors, Carolyn amid them, her stethoscope around her neck and drumming a soft beat against her chest at her irregular step.

Sam forced herself to her feet as Carolyn came to crouch by Daniel who was laid next to her and checked his pulse via his wrist.

"Can we get these two to the infirmary at once please!" she called, two SFs carried a pair of stretchers in and the two unconscious members of SG1 were loaded onto them and whisked away.

* * *

Daniel groaned; his head ached and pounded behind his eyes, blinking several times to clear the fog he found he was staring straight up at the infirmary ceiling. When had they gotten back through the 'gate? What had happened?

"We don't know," Carolyn said, making him realise he'd said the last question aloud "how're you feeling?"

"Headache," he replied "Vala?"

Vala! He remembered her kicking that device, whatever had possessed her to do that he did not know, if the crystals were damaged kicking them wasn't going to fix anything.

"Welcome back to the land of the living!" Cam said cheerily, clapping Daniel's blanket-covered foot warmly.

"Sit up," Daniel whispered, pushing himself upright, biting his tongue not to tell Carolyn to back off when she rushed to rearrange the pillows for him. "Where's Vala?" he said after taking a sip of water from the glass he had been passed.

"She's still unconscious," Carolyn reported "it seems you both took some serious blows to the head, can you remember anything about what happened?"

Daniel frowned, trying to remember "uh… there was a… device… it seemed to be unique to the planet, the writings were, from first glance, a variation of several I've come across before," he took another mouthful of water "Vala said the control crystals were damaged… she kicked it…"

"It's okay," Carolyn touched his arm as he tried to recall anything he could from before the blackness he had just emerged from.

"I've got your video camera," Sam said, producing the item and switching it on "there might be something on there, although it probably didn't catch much,"

Daniel held out his hands to take it and he pressed play, watching the screen carefully.

"_-atin and Egyptian as well… however it also appears to have developed on it's own…"_

A thud and the camera view turned to Vala's midriff.

"_What're you doing?"_

"_Trying to make it work," _

"_By kicking it?"_

A rumbling sound and the recording changed again, shaking and turning "That wasn't me,"

It turned and the audience got a shaky view of the device that had Daniel and Vala had found; a bright light emanated from within it, a loud thud and a clatter as Daniel was thrown backwards and the camera fell sideways to the floor.

There was a scream, as if Vala was in great pain and she crumpled to the floor, the light that had filled the room flickered and dimmed before disappearing completely.

"_Jackson-" _Cam's recorded voice was cut off as Daniel terminated the video.

Sam was frowning at the camera, suddenly in deep thought. Without any of the device to work on she could not try and find out how it worked, but Daniel seemed to have some of the writings and scriptures on tape so once he had discerned the glyphs and found out it's use-

"Doctor Jackson, good to see your awake," Landry bustled into the infirmary, smiling in genuine greeting at the archaeologist.

"Thank you sir,"

"How's Vala?" He turned to his daughter, who was stood by Daniel's bed, she moved away and went over to her, other patient's at the mention of her.

"She's still unconscious, it's as if she's been knocked unconscious but the scans…" she pulled out the hard copies she had from Vala's file at the foot of her bed.

"The scans don't show any anomalies I would normally associate with a head injury, see…" she pulled Daniel's out as well and brought them over to be examined by the others as well "Doctor Jackson has some evidence of swelling here, and here," she gestured "Vala has neither,"

Sam picked up one of the images as Carolyn continued "now I've hooked her up to an EEG and the readings are as if she's just asleep,"

"Her blood?" Sam suggested.

"Her blood tests came back negative for any foreign bodies or disease, I can't even find any of her cell counts to be elevated." Carolyn put the images away in the correct files "it's a little early to be concerned but she should have woken up by now if it was just a concussion like Doctor Jackson,"

Landry nodded and glanced at the slumbering woman in the bed next to Daniel's, her ivory cheeks framed by her dark hair, her chest rising and falling in a deep way associated with normal sleep. Her fingers twitched beside her supporting the theory.

"Can I go?" Daniel asked abruptly, leaning forwards slightly to see past Sam.

"No," Carolyn replied "you've had quite a head injury, I need to keep you in over night for observation,"

Daniel sighed and but resigned himself to it, Sam took the video camera off of him and turned it back on.

" _- You doing?"_

"_Trying to make it work," _

"_By kicking it?"_

"What is that?" Landry asked, moving to get a better look at the screen, Sam handed it over for the General to see for himself.

"Jackson managed to get a recording of what happened to him and Vala sir," Cam explained as Landry's eyes widened in sync with a thud and a clatter that was then followed by the predicted cry of pain.

Landry handed the camera back "let me know if Vala wakes up," he said, leaving the infirmary. "We'll debrief properly at 0900 hours,"

Carolyn turned to the three non-hospitalised members of SG1 and told them to leave, they agreed albeit slightly reluctantly, Sam departing with promises to drop in and see him later.

"Recover quickly Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said as he and the rest of the team were ushered from the infirmary by Carolyn who then turned to Daniel.

"Why don't you try and get some rest Doctor Jackson?"

He neither agreed nor argued, but kept his gaze on Vala as the CMO walked away, when it had strayed there he did not know, but he did not remove it. His head was pounding and the silence that had taken the chatter that had been there moments before was not helping it; causing far more of a bother than he had thought a silence could.

The variations of the writings had been close enough to the original languages for him to recognise them but to far developed for him to even contemplate translating them without references to use as stepping-stones.

In the short-time which he had, had to examine the device he had not found any obvious method of activating it, but it seemed Vala had found at least one way when she had so characteristically kicked it. That method may be one that was tried and true but that did not mean that anything good could come of it.

_Author's Notes: I don't know whether or not this is just turning out to be poorly written or whether short chapters are just gonna be the way it goes with this fiction. _


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